What with one thing and another and a busy time I hadn't played OOTP in a while until about 3 weeks ago when I fired it back up. I'll start by saying it's actually OOTP13 because I haven't got around to getting the new version yet plus I wanted to get the rust off by getting stuck into 13 as I bought it when it came out last year but after an initial play I then got busy and hadn't touched it since. Anyway on with my reason for posting.
I've been playing OOTP since I first picked it up on holiday in the US as Season Ticket Baseball 3. I play out most of my games but had never had a game like the one I just played out.
I'm playing as the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2012 season. It's August 26th we're 61-65, 7 games out of the wild card place, currently held by Milwaukee and it's them we are playing against in the 3rd game of a 4 game series with. Having lost the first game 5-6, we rallied superbly to win the second game 11-1, teeing off on Randy Wolf who was on the receiving end of 15 hits in 6.1 innings. Neil Walker, Matt Carpenter and Omar Infante all going 3 for 5. Infante and Carpenter driving in 3 runs each in the process. So on to game 3 full of hope of taking a 2-1 lead in the series and hopefully taking a 3-1 series win and closing in on that wild card spot.
Well, with a sketchy starting rotation having traded away a struggling Eric Bedard early in the season, Aaron Crow got the start and gave up 1 run in each of the first four innings whilst our bats struggled to get going. He then gave up 3 more in the 5th before being taken out of the game. Pedro Strop relived him only to let two on base and give up a homer. So here we were at the middle of the 6th 10-0 down.
Carpenter and Kendall both single before Matt Hague drives in Carpenter to open the Pittburgh scoring. Nothing else comes of the inning and at the end of 6 it's Milwaukee 10 Pittsburgh 1.
Chris Resop pitches the 7th and a strike out and two quick fly balls dispose of the Milwaukee batter who presumably are now resting on their laurels, job done.
Jose Tabata leads off the bottom of the 7th with a walk and then grabs 2nd on a long fly ball out. He then steals 3rd and comes home on a ground ball out from Omar Infante.
Justin Turner then homers before Carpenter singles. Kendall though then grounds out to end the inning. 10-3
Eric OFlaherty pitches the 8th and quickly disposes of the now apparent disinterested Milwaukee batsman
Hu starts the 8th with a single and after Gordon flies out, Heisey and Tabata single and Hu comes home. Two fly balls quickly follow to end the inning.
End of the 8th Milwaukee 10 Pittsburgh 4
Top of the ninth. O'Flaherty continues to pitch and a quick fly out and ground out are followed up with a strike out of Mat Gamel.
Bottom of the ninth. Kameron Loe pitching
JB Schuck hits a line drive to open the batting and finds himself at first. He then steals second and Matt Carpenter draws a walk. Runners on 1st and 3rd as Jason Kendall comes to the plate. 4 pitches late he has a walk and the bases are loaded. Chin Lung Hu comes to the plate as the manager rues the earlier injury that removed Neil Walker from the game who would have now been at the plate. Hu however doesn't let anybody down with a line drive single to left bringing home Schuck. A flutter of hope washes over the manager as Alex Gordon comes to the plate with bases loaded and the score now 10-5. He fails to deliver as much as hoped but does at least hit a sac fly scoring Carpenter for 10-6. 1 Out
With runners now on 2nd and 3rd Chris Heisey is at the plate. A now nervous Loe hits him with the first pitch and Heisey makes his way down to first. Bases loaded once again.
A hot Jose Tabata comes to the plate and promptly singles bringing home Jason Kendall from 3rd and Hu is waved around 3rd a the ball eludes the fielder and he scores without a throw. 10-8.
Catcher Salvador Perez now comes to the plate having filled in at 1B with the score 10-8 and just one out. The air is electric as the crowd sit in silence watching the drama unfold.
First ball, called strike as the runners take off for a successful double steal attempt. Second pitch comes in , Perez swings, it's deep, it's very deep, it's GONE!!! A walk off 3-run Home Run!!!! Milwaukee 10 Pittsburgh 11 from 10-0 down at the middle of the 6th !
What a fantastic game, both that above and OOTP in general. I've been playing it for over 10 years and just had my best moment ever, what other game could you say that about. Thanks to Marcus and his team for the best sports sim available by far.
